New equipment lightens load in Fraser

In September, the Fraser Department of Public Safety took delivery of its new ambulance — a 2012 Chevrolet Medtec G4500 model. It replaced the city’s 10-year-old life support unit.

The shiny red vehicle from Halt Fire in Wixom features several bells and whistles, such as a smaller cab to provide a more comfortable ride for patients and public safety officers, and windows in the rear that can, at the touch of a button, be instantly clear for patients who may experience claustrophobia or clouded over to ensure privacy.

It came with a $150,000 price tag, yet it didn’t cost taxpayers anything, according to Lt. Dan Kolke, Fire Division commander and Criminal Investigations Division commander for the city’s Public Safety Department. The vehicle was purchased using forfeited funds from individuals charged with illegal gambling in the city, he said.

More of those funds — $23,000 — were used to purchase a Stryker Power-LOAD cot fastening system for the new ambulance. Kolke said Fraser is the first department in Macomb County to use the system.

Not only does the device provide a more secure entry for patients as they’re loaded into the ambulance on a stretcher, it also eliminates lifting by public safety officers, possibly preventing injuries.

Kolke said when patients are loaded onto the stretcher, it is then connected to the Power-LOAD system mounted in the back of the ambulance and the wheels are lifted hydraulically. Public safety officers then push the stretcher into the ambulance.

The system will support up to 700 pounds while attached with the wheels up, and the hydraulics of the stretcher itself also can lift up to that weight.

“This system will stop injuries to public safety officers caused by lifting a stretcher since it eliminates any manual lifting,” explained Kolke. “It also protects patients from injury caused by any dropping of the stretcher during lifting.”